“Look for the positives in everything.” – Matt Bond, Matt Bond Photography / Productions

One thing a lot of us have trouble with is the here-and-now, especially if we find our circumstances uncomfortable.

Five years before I spoke with Matt Bond for the podcast, he was working in a convenience store serving drunks after nights out.

My immediate internal reaction was, “you poor bugger.”

My first paying job was in fresh produce in a supermarket. I tend to think of it in therms of “having paid my dues” and “never again.”

Yet Matt told me that has never done a job he didn’t love. While I still advocate doing as much as you can to change hostile circumstances, one thing we could all do more often, especially if we want our lives to be more playful, is look for the positives, reasons to be glad, in your current circumstances.

It can be good practice. Even though Matt Bond is living his dream of making money through is creative pursuits, he still spends every day in pain, and if there’s one thing that can consistently sap joy from your life, it’s ongoing and acute physical discomfort.

Yet still, Matt is happy.

“No matter what it is,” he says, “there’s a bright side.”

Want to hear more about how Matt Bond overcame his chronic pain to create a thriving photography business? Have a listen to his episode of The Paid to Play Podcast! Featured image by Josar Photos.